NEW DELHI, June 12, 2026 - India has taken a significant leap toward strengthening its renewable energy portfolio with the release of the country's first comprehensive national assessment of floating solar photovoltaic (PV) potential. The report, conducted by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), estimates that India's reservoirs and water bodies can host over 102 GWp of floating solar capacity-equivalent to roughly 320 large-scale 100 MW power plants.
The new assessment elevates India's total assessed solar potential to 3,445 GWp, comprising 3,343 GWp from ground-mounted solar and 102.18 GWp from floating solar installations. According to Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi, who released the report, the ministry is actively preparing a dedicated scheme to promote floating solar deployment across the country.
Turning Water Bodies into Powerhouses
Floating solar technology places solar photovoltaic panels on top of reservoirs, lakes, dams, and other water surfaces. Floating solar offers many advantages over traditional ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies, primarily because floating solar technology avoids most of the land acquisition issues that have been a major impediment to the growth of renewable energy in India. Ground-mounted solar is the dominant type of solar energy in India and has about 100 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity, but it requires three to four times as much land as the solar panels to be installed and therefore creates numerous conflicts with agricultural and residential land types.
Besides conserving land, floating solar systems receive natural cooling from contact with water, allowing for greater energy output than most ground-mounted solar installations. Additionally, floating solar systems reduce evaporation from reservoirs, which is extremely important in many parts of India due to significant water stress.Using advanced geospatial mapping techniques, researchers from the National Institute of Solar Energy assessed the availability of suitable water surface areas in India, as well as any constraints due to environmental concerns, technical limitations, existing transmission and distribution networks, and solar irradiation for electricity generation. The study's findings demonstrate that India has almost 1,946 square kilometers of available water surface area that can be utilized for floating solar installation, which represents only limited use of existing reservoir surfaces; therefore, based on advancements in technology, there is great potential to develop floating solar systems on water bodies.
A Nationwide Opportunity, Unevenly Distributed
According to the report, the states with the greatest floating solar capacity are Maharashtra (16.28 GW), Madhya Pradesh (14.89 GW), Karnataka (13.69 GW), Odisha (12.81 GW), and Telangana (10.72 GW).
One example of this potential is the Rihand Dam (or the Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar Reservoir) in Uttar Pradesh. It has a potentially usable area of 64,768 acres, which means that one could build an estimated 32 GW of floating solar capacity at just that site, demonstrating how much greater opportunity to develop floating solar capacities remains to be developed throughout these states.
Yet despite this promising outlook, actual deployment has lagged far behind potential. Only around 700 MW of floating solar projects have been commissioned in India so far, according to MNRE figures. Industry estimates indicate that an additional 1 GW is currently under construction. The modest achievement to date is largely attributed to a lack of comprehensive site data and the absence of a clear framework for project execution-gaps that the newly released assessment and the forthcoming policy framework are designed to address.
Government Accelerates Policy Push
In February 2026, a stakeholder consultation workshop led by Joint Secretary J.V. N. Subramanyam was held to discuss draft floating solar policy documents formed by both NISE and IIT, Roorkee. The meeting set out innovative ways to address floating solar policy through plug and play solutions such as prefabricated water bodies with prior approved clearances in order to minimize risks to developers and investors.Voices of state and union territories leaders were brought together to assist them with conducting their own internal consultations with applicable departments in the areas of water resources, irrigation, revenue, fisheries, forests, agriculture, discoms, and/or pollution control to identify and prioritise suitable water bodies for project development.
On the policy front, Finance Ministry's Expenditure Finance Committee has approved a ₹5,500 crore for floating solar and battery storage in May 2026. This scheme provides for installing floating solar installations on reservoirs and water bodies while providing for integrated battery storage to improve grid reliability and provide consistent access to essential electricity when demand is at an all-time high. The plan is expected to be be visible shortly in front of the Union Cabinet for approval.
The government's urgency in advancing floating solar is partly driven by geopolitics. With rising uncertainty in energy supplies from West Asia due to ongoing regional conflicts, India is seeking to accelerate its renewable energy plans and reduce its reliance on fossil fuel imports. As MNRE Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi recently stated, the government is exploring new incentive mechanisms to promote a more equitable geographic distribution of renewable energy projects across the country, moving beyond traditional high-solar-radiation zones.
Flagship Projects Light the Way
India is already at the beginning of floating solar projects across the country, but we have had several landmark projects that prove the technology can be used successfully. Some of these projects include the Omkareshwar Floating Solar Park located on the Narmada River (India's largest floating solar park at 278 MW). It has a planned capacity expansion up to 600 MW. Kerala is one of the most advanced in terms of floating solar technology, as evidenced by its commissioning of the Kayamkulam Floating Solar Plant (101.6 MW), which is operated by NTPC Limited (a state-owned company), as well as its commissioning of the NTPC Haripad Project (92 MW).
In March 2026, Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone of a 50 MW floating solar power plant at West Kallada, Kerala. In addition, TrueRE Oriana Power entered into an EPC contract with the Damodar Valley Corporation in March 2026 to build a 234 MW floating solar project at the Maithon Dam Reservoir (Jharkhand) and has developed an anchoring/mooring system to accommodate river currents. Finally, NSPCL has commissioned a 15 MW floating solar plant at Chhattisgarh (January 2026).
Overcoming Challenges
Floating solar projects currently carry a significant cost premium over their land-based counterparts, with industry estimates suggesting upfront costs roughly 25 percent higher due to the need for specialized floats, anchoring systems, and waterproofing. However, operational benefits-including higher generation efficiency from natural cooling, reduced water evaporation, and avoided land acquisition expenses-can offset these higher initial costs over time."The EPC capability is proven and ready," noted Siddharth Bhatia, MD and CEO of AB Energia, whose company has executed floating solar installations across India. "The opportunity now is for policy and execution to move in step." Speaking about the ₹5,500 crore government scheme, Bhatia observed, "The focus is no longer just on adding capacity; it is on building reliable, integrated infrastructure."
A Global Context
With the rapid growth of floating solar power globally (9.6 gigawatts in floating solar installations worldwide by 2024 and 90% of those installations occurring in Asia), India's announcement adds further momentum to this growing global phenomenon. Currently, China is the leader in floating solar with a 120-mw floating solar facility on Poyang Lake, while many other Southeast Asian countries are also beginning to deploy floating solar facilities. With an estimated 102 gigawatts of floating solar power potential, India is entering the global market for floating solar and will become an important member in the future. Floating solar energy represents an opportunity to contribute to India's target for 500 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 through developing scalable and land-efficient solutions. Additionally, Minister Pralhad Joshi, upon releasing the NISE report, confirmed the ministry's commitment to realising floating solar potential by converting reservoirs into sources of power through expanding solar panel installations.
